Polar Opposites

Chapter 2

I thank Lamar a million times before hanging up. I put my head in my hands and laugh like a mad man before throwing on an old Miami Dolphins t-shirt and some shorts to go tell William.

Before leaving the room I have to remind myself to turn off the shower. I throw open the door and race down the stairs to Will's room. "Will! Open up!" I yell. I hear him put something down on his kitchen counter and race to the door. "What's up? What's wrong?" he asks, the smell of peanut butter on his breath.

I glance behind him at the jar of peanut butter on the counter before telling him the news. "We're going to France! We're going to Paris!" I half yell, half laugh. He chuckles,"Well that's great but don't scare me like that Scar!" He picks me up and spins me around before setting me down.

Without even being invited I walk in and begin panicking. "I have to get a camera and some new clothes and new shoes and-OH! We have to go to the store right now!" I start saying rather quickly.

"Scarlett...Scar..." William's saying. "What?!" I ask with a sigh. "Why don't you go put a bra on....and then we'll go, okay?" he says calmly. I look down at my attire and cringe. "Yeah, I'll be right back," I say, walking barefoot back to my apartment.

I throw on a bra and a regular white v-neck and some jeans before sliding my feet into my Jack Rogers. I grab my brown purse and my keys and walk back to William's room. It's 10:30 but at least some stores should still be open. William grabs his car keys and throws on some jeans when I make it back to the room.

"Hey, we match," he says, eyeing my white t-shirt that is somewhat like the ones he's wearing. He strolls to the kitchen and takes one more spoonful of peanut butter before throwing the spoon in the sink and putting the peanut butter in the pantry. "What is with you and peanut butter?" I ask him. "Protein," he says, grabbing a light weight fleece jacket and turning off the lights.

As we walk to his car outside the building, I take in the scent of the salty air and look up at the sky. There are only a few stars shown, others are hidden by the clouds. I love Miami...but I would love to see the stars in Paris even more.

We drive to a local super-market with the radio playing softly in the background. I take in the scenery as we go, knowing that we'll be in Paris for at least a month and I won't get to see this again. William gives me a slight nudge on the arm and raises his eyebrow. "Nothing, I'm okay," I smile genuinely. He smiles back warmly as we pull into the parking lot.

In the store, I buy a bikini in case there's an indoor pool where we're staying, some clothes a small digital camera and a camera bag; a binder, some paper, and sheet protectors for the case, and miscellaneous clothes and accessories for undercover work. William leaves me to my tasks as soon as we walk in but I see him checking in on me around a few corners. He buys some movies and clothes before meeting me at the front.

"Are you through with your tacky tourist purchases?" he asks me with a smile. "Maybe," I tell- him.

I don't make him take me anywhere else and let him drive us back to Seabrook. He walks me to apartment and gives me a kiss on the cheek before telling me goodnight for a final time. I walk in with a smile, touching the place on my cheek gently.

I fall to sleep rather quickly, knowing there's a full day of planning that awaits.

I find myself speeding to get ready in the morning. I pack my duffel bag with the office supplies I got at the store and throw on black slacks with a red blazer. While putting on my makeup, I get a drop of foundation on my white silk button up. I groan and glance at the clock. It's 6:45 already. I replace the silk top with a white tank top and throw on my blazer before heading out the door.